Proprietary dock for bundled camera to charge batteries and print. Also prints from computers and PictBridge cameras. Can preview photos on the camera LCD or on a TV.

Cons

Photos are tacky immediately after printing and can smudge if they get wet.

Bottom Line

The printer in the HP Photosmart 428 GoGo Photo Studio can print true photo-quality pictures from computers, PictBridge cameras, or select HP cameras without any fuss.

The HP Photosmart 428 GoGo Photo Studio ($329 direct) is a bundle that includes both a printer and camera. It's part of the HP Photosmart 420 series, a set of three packages that includes the same printer, dubbed the HP Photosmart 420 Series Printer. (The other two bundles are the HP Photosmart 422 GoGo Photo Studio and the HP Photosmart 425 GoGo Photo Studio.) The HP Photosmart 428 comes with the HP Photosmart M517 camera, which is what we used for testing the printer. We've reviewed the M517 separately.

The printer in these packages is an ink jetbased portable that's similar to the HP Photosmart 385 GoGo Photo Printer. It shares a similar size (4.9 by 8.9 by 4.6 inches), weight (2.4 pounds), and kiosk-style menu that lets you crop and edit pictures before printing. It also shares the same 8-ounce rechargeable battery option ($80 street) that will let you print a claimed 70 photos on a single charge, and the same Bluetooth option ($60 street) .

As with the HP Photosmart 385, the 420 will print from computers and PictBridge cameras, but you won't find slots for memory cards. Instead, you'll find a proprietary docking connection on top of the printer. Much like the ImageLink docking standard promoted by Kodak (and included as part of the Kodak EasyShare Printer Dock Series 3), the HP docking connection lets you both recharge the camera batteries and print directly from the camera.

The docked camera and printer also work together in much the same way as ImageLink cameras and printers. Insert the camera in the dock and you can use the buttons on the printer's front panel to work through camera menus and scroll through and edit the images, using the camera's LCD. You can also connect the printer to a TV with the supplied video cable and use the bundled remote to view the menus and photos on a TV screen, edit the photos, and print. You can even view the photos as a slide show on TV.

The excellent rating for photos on our tests translates to true photo-quality output, with no issues worth mentioning. Unfortunately, the output is not waterproof. Even after giving the photos a day or more to dry, a drop of water on a photo left a water stain, and sweaty hands easily smudged photos. The output from most other dedicated photo printers, including the ink jetbased Epson PictureMate and Epson PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Edition, is at least water-resistant, and is often waterproof.

Print speed is a little sluggish for printing from the docked camera, at about 2 minutes 50 seconds per photo, but it is well within the typical range for photo printers when printing from a computer, at 1:51. Even so, it is somewhat slower than the Kodak EasyShare Printer Dock Series 3, which managed to print from a docked ImageLink camera in about 1:45 and print from a computer in about 1:24.

Cost per print is the same as for HP's 385, at 24 cents per photo, based on combination packs with enough ink and paper for 200 photos at $47.99 (direct). The price per photo goes up to 40 cents if you buy the 50-sheet pack at $19.99 (direct). The larger packs are clearly the better buy.

Given the ease of ruining a photo with a drop of water or sweaty hands, the 420's output is not a good choice for pictures you want to pass around to friends, although this is not an issue for photos protected behind glass or in albums. And in combination with the bundled camera, the 420 certainly makes printing photos as easy as possible.

About the Author

M. David Stone is an award-winning freelance writer and computer industry consultant. Although a confirmed generalist, with writing credits on subjects as varied as ape language experiments, politics, quantum physics, and an overview of a top company in the gaming industry. David is also an expert in imaging technologies (including printers, moni... See Full Bio

HP Photosmart 428 GoGo Photo Studio

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